Elective course: History of East-Central Europe 3224-PRZEDF103
The course provides a comprehensive overview of the political and national processes taking place in East-Central Europe from the 10th century to the present day. It highlights the political and ethnic changes that have occurred in the region over the centuries. The internal and external factors influencing the awakening of national consciousness among Belarusians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, and Czechs are examined. The course analyzes the nation-building attempts undertaken by national movements in East-Central Europe.
Furthermore, it explores inter-ethnic relations (Polish-Ukrainian, Polish-Belarusian, Polish-Lithuanian, and Polish-Czech) during the interwar period and under the conditions of World War II. The situation of individual nationalities after the end of World War II, when Eastern Europe became part of the Communist Bloc, is also analyzed. Significant emphasis is placed on examining the circumstances surrounding the proclamation of independent nation-states in the region. Finally, the geopolitical aspirations of these nations and the new political challenges facing them at the turn of the 21st century are presented.
The following thematic blocks will be covered during the course:
Prehistory of the Region. Slavs and Germans. State-Building Processes Among the West Slavs
Slavs, Balts, and Finno-Ugric Peoples. The Formation of States Among the East Slavs
The Emergence and Development of the Lithuanian-Ruthenian State. Ethnic and Cultural Mosaic in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Polish-Lithuanian Unions and the Ethnic and Religious Transformations in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Formation and Development of the Muscovite / Russian State
The Awakening of Nations – National Transformations in the 19th Century. The Rise of National Movements (Belarusian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Czech)
Concepts of Independence in East-Central Europe at the Beginning of the 20th Century
Those Who Succeeded: Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Lithuania in the Interwar Period
Those Who Failed: Belarus and Ukraine in the Soviet Union (Up to 1939)
Polish-Lithuanian, Polish-Belarusian, and Belarusian-Ukrainian Relations in the Interwar Period
East-Central Europe During World War II: Ethnic and Cultural Shifts
Behind the Iron Curtain: Belarus, Ukraine, and Lithuania Within the USSR
In the "People's Democracy" Camp: Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the GDR in the Post-War Period
The Dissolution of the USSR, the Collapse of the Eastern Bloc, and Geopolitical Aspirations in East-Central Europe
The Major Geopolitical and Civilizational Challenges in the Region at the Beginning of the 21st Century
Student workload includes:
Classroom participation – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Preparing for classes – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Course coordinators
Mode
Learning outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:
Upon completing the course, the student will know and understand:
broadly understood intercultural context of countries in the Central and Eastern European region, taking into account the complex nature of language [K_W09].
Skills:
Upon completing the course, the student is able to:
search for, select, analyse and use necessary information from various sources [K_U01].
refer to acquired theoretical and practical knowledge and use it in typical professional statements concerning the literature of the countries of the region, as well as the specificity of the region as a whole in a global context, constructing them logically and referring to the positions of other participants in these communication situations [K_U06].
independently prepare written and oral statements, in Polish and a foreign language, on selected topics in the field of cultural theory and issues related to the countries of the region and present the results of their work in the group forum [K_U08].
Social Competences:
Upon completing the course, the student is prepared to:
critical assessment of existing knowledge, continuous learning and supplementing acquired knowledge and skills [K_K01]
Assessment criteria
I. The organization of classes:
1) Attendance at all classes, covered by the plan, shall be compulsory.
2) It is not possible to have a resit if the reason of failing the credit was noncompliance with the requirement to participate in them. In such a case a student can be conditionally registered in an successive stage of study and can repeat the failed course.
3) In case of 30 hours in semester, 2 absences without justifying are acceptable. Missed classes must be made up in accordance with the requirements of the lecturer. The requirements are provided by the lecturer during the first class.
Assessment Criteria
The final grade is composed of:
Participation in sessions – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
Preparation for classes – 30 hours (1 ECTS)
In order to obtain a positive grade for the semester, students must prepare one presentation on a selected topic.
Grading system:
99 – 100% - 5 (excellent)
93 - 98% - 5 (very good)
87 - 92% - 4,5 (fairly good)
77 - 86% - 4 (good)
71 - 76% - 3,5 (satisfactory plus)
60 - 70% - 3 (satisfactory)
Bibliography
Bazylew Ludwik, Wieczorkiewicz Paweł, Historia Rosji, Wrocław-Warszwa-Kraków 2006.
Chojnowski Andrzej, Bruski Jan Jacek, Ukraina, Warszawa 2006.
Gumilow Lew, Od Rusi do Rosji, Warszawa 2004.
Gumilow Lew, Śladami cywilizacji wielkiego stepu, Warszawa 2004.
Heller Michaił, Historia Imperium Rosyjskiego, Warszawa 2002.
Hrycak Jarosław, Historia Ukrainy, 1772—1999. Narodziny nowoczesnego narodu, Lublin 2000.
Jakowenko Natalia, Historia Ukrainy od czasów najdawniejszych do końca XVIII wieku, Lublin 2000.
Łatyszonek Oleg, Od Rusinów Białych do Białorusinów, Białystok 2006.
Mironowicz Eugeniusz, Białoruś, Warszawa 2007.
Radzik Ryszard, Kim są Biało
rusini, Toruń 2000.
Riasanovsky Nicholas, Steinberg Mark, Historia Rosji, Kraków 2009.
Sahanowicz Hienadź, Szybieka Zachar, Historia Białorusi, Lublin 2001.
Serczyk Władysław, Historia Ukrainy, Warszawa 2001.
Słownik dydydentów. Czołowe postacie ruchów opozycyjnych w krajach komunistycznych w latach 1956—1989, t. 1-2, red.: J. Kochanowski, Warszawa 2007.
Zajączkowski Wojciech, Rosja i narody. Ósmy kontynent. Szkic dziejów Eurazji, Warszawa 2009.